Date of birth:

September 6th, 1918 (Geffen, the Netherlands)

Date of death:

April 1st, 2004 ('s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands)

Nationality:

Dutch

Maria Catharina 'Riet' van Grunsven, also known as Riet van de Haterd-van Grunsven, was a resistance woman during World War II. She was active in the armed resistance in the province of North Brabant from the very beginning of the war and willing to take great risks in the process. Among other things, she was involved in intelligence gathering and the liberation of prisoners.

After the liberation of southern Holland, she was recruited as a secret agent by the Intelligence Bureau. To do so, she made the dangerous crossing through the Biesbosch to occupied territory and back four times to convey information to Allied troops. She was also involved in the secret transports of medicines that were desperately needed in the occupied Netherlands.

During her last crossing, she fell during one of her missions due to slipperiness and damaged a cervical vertebra. As a result, she remained partially paralysed for the rest of her life. She was known within the resistance as 'Iceblock' or 'Trubbel'.

For her resistance work she was awarded the Bronze Lion, which was presented to her - lying on a stretcher - on 14 July 1949 in Sliedrecht by Prince Bernhard. She was the first woman to receive this decoration.

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• Photo: Detail | Collecties Erfgoed 's-Hertogenbosch
  
• - SIMONS, J., Liniecrossers, Omniboek, 2021.